Masterclass on Supporting Grief and Loss in the Workplace

• Grief

Tuesday 24 November 2026
10:00 am to 11:30am
Zoom

We are delighted to be supported by Specsavers to deliver a new series of masterclasses for Visionary members and partners. The masterclass programme features themes which members tell us are impacting their organisations and people in their local communities. This year, the masterclass series includes sessions focused on how to campaign meaningfully in your local area and enhancing communication with the NHS.

The first session in the series will focus on an open and honest conversation about grief, loss and the role workplaces can play in supporting people through difficult times. With new statutory bereavement leave legislation coming into effect in January 2027, now feels like a good opportunity to come together, share experiences and explore what meaningful support can look like in practice.

During this session, we’ll look at the different ways grief can show up at work, including the impact of bereavement in our personal lives and the professional experiences of grief that can come with working in the charity sector. We’ll discuss how leaders, colleagues and organisations can create environments where people feel supported, understood and able to have compassionate conversations when they need them most.

Key learning outcomes

• Understanding the impact of grief at work – how grief can affect us day to day, the different ways it may show up in the workplace, and why significant dates and milestones can be particularly challenging.
• Recognising different types of grief – including anticipatory, disenfranchised and professional grief, and how these experiences can affect employees and teams.
• Building supportive strategies – practical ways to support yourself and others, maintain healthy boundaries, and signpost people to additional support when needed.
• Having compassionate conversations – developing confidence to talk about grief and loss with colleagues, supporters and the wider community in a way that feels authentic and supportive.
• Going beyond legal requirements – understanding upcoming bereavement leave changes and exploring how policies, guidance, training and leadership can help create more compassionate workplaces.

Resources

As part of the session, Lucy will introduce two practical resources:

• Manager’s Guide: Supporting Employees Through Bereavement | Hospice UK – Guidance for managers navigating conversations and support following a loss.
• Get to Know Me Document | Hospice UK – A simple tool designed to help managers build stronger, psychologically safe relationships with their teams and understand how individuals would like to be supported.

We would really encourage you to take a look at the resources ahead of the session and bring along any questions, reflections or challenges you would like to explore together.

Questions

If you have specific questions, scenarios, or topics you would like Lucy to cover during the session, please email Amy Pearman (opens email) before the session to assist with planning.

For: Visionary members and partners only. Please note that only registered members and partners will be able to attend; other registrations will be cancelled or removed. To find out more about membership, see our membership page at Join Us | Visionary or email Visionary (opens email).